Grauer School Robots Team wins FTC championship award

Online, February 10, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Encinitas, CA----The Grauer School Shockwave Robotics team brought home the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge Motivate Award after competing in the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) Championship in Las Vegas, NV, on January 30, 2010. The award celebrates the team that exemplifies the essence of the competition through team spirit and enthusiasm. Team members include Grauer School students Alex Guy, grade 10, Stephen Linam, grade 9 and Michael Buton, grade 10. Linam represented the team at the competition and this is the first year the school had a robotics team compete.

According to Mary Linam, Stephen's mother, "The judges were very impressed with the Grauer team and the spirit Stephen showed in traveling to Las Vegas for the team to compete alone. When it was announced that the Grauer School team won the Motivate award, there was an overwhelming round of applause --- Stephen plowed through the day against all odds, as he was the only team competing with one student. Stephen accepted the award on behalf of the team who also made a collective effort to make FIRST known throughout their school and community."

FIRST inspires young people to become science and technology leaders, by engaging them in mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. FTC is designed for those who want to compete head-to-head, using a sports model. Teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Teams, including coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. Awards are given for the competition as for well as for community outreach, design, and other real-world accomplishments.

The Grauer School is located at 1500 South El Camino Real in Encinitas and scholarships are available. For additional information, call (760) 944-6777 or visit www.grauerschool.com.